


Seventy-Two Hours in December

by nekosmuse_archive (nekosmuse)



Category: Without a Trace
Genre: Awkward courtships, First Dates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23601814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekosmuse/pseuds/nekosmuse_archive
Summary: Written pre 2005. Posting for archival purposes.Danny knows Martin better than he thought he did.
Relationships: Martin Fitzgerald/Danny Taylor
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

He arrives Friday morning to find the office eerily quiet.

He's not the first one in, close to the last, actually, but nothing seems to be going on, the rest of the team too preoccupied by fetching their morning coffees to engage in conversation. That lack of noise is startling by most mornings' standards.

Still, he finds himself nodding his hellos instead of saying them, throwing his coat over the back of his chair, ignoring the fact that someone's thought to decorate his desk --red and green garland circling his cubicle, tinsel hanging off his monitor-- before heading in search of his own coffee.

He takes it black and it's just a little too bitter for his taste. He sips at it all the same, heads back to his desk and falls into his chair, content to wait the silence out.

Sam breaks it first, growling in frustration just as the clock on the far wall pushes past nine-thirty, the phones remaining silent, the white board still blank and Jack still locked inside his office.

"Don't jinx us," Martin tells her and Danny laughs, Martin glancing over to shoot him a grin that Danny returns.

"It's going to be a really long day without a case," Sam counters, but she doesn't bring it up again, instead brooding in silence at her desk.

~*~

It's well past noon by the time a call comes in; a missing grandmother who disappeared from her granddaughter's home in Queens.

Jack sends him and Martin out to the granddaughter's house to canvas the street, thinking she very likely wandered away and isn't in any real danger.

It wouldn't be the first such case and Danny's done this often enough to know that these cases usually end well. Well enough that his mood is light, Danny joking that she's likely out doing some last minute Christmas shopping, Martin countering that she probably wandered down to the mailbox to mail her latest batch of fruit cakes.

Danny laughs at that and, for a moment, manages to forget that they haven't really spoken in months.

~*~

They find her at quarter to three, wandering aimlessly down the street in nothing but a bathrobe. Sam grumbles about the case not lasting until five. Vivian tells her to be thankful it didn't, the temperature dropping with each passing hour and no one denies that it's good that they found her when they did.

~*~

There's mistletoe in the break room. It's above the coffee maker, far enough back that someone would have to be sitting on the counter in order to technically qualify as being under it.

Danny finds Martin filling his fourth cup of the day and contemplates moving the decoration in preparation for Martin's fifth.

He doesn't, mostly because Martin still makes him just a little bit nervous, but also because he hasn't really thought about kissing Martin since before Martin's near brush with death.

Things are different now.

~*~

"You got plans this weekend?" Martin asks him, leaning back in his chair, twirling a pencil in his hand and if they can make it seventeen minutes without a call they're officially home free for the next two days.

"Visiting my brother on Sunday; that's about it," Danny answers, not mentioning that, last Christmas, Silvia and Rafi had him over for dinner, or that he played a very unconvincing Santa for Nickie on Christmas Eve.

This year he'll spend two hours visiting Rafi at Rikers, Silvia wanting nothing to do with him and Nickie too old to believe in Santa.

"You?" Danny asks after a moment, Martin switching from twirling his pencil to rolling it across the backs of his fingers.

"Christmas dinner at my uncle's," Martin answers, expression suddenly guarded and Danny knows he's avoiding mention of his aunt's recent passing.

Yet another thing they don't talk about.

~*~

The elevator doors open and Vivian wishes him a Merry Christmas, Danny returning the sentiment before stepping out into the hall, walking the few short paces toward the employee exit. Outside, he draws his coat tight against the blustering winds.

It's too cold to snow. Too cold for anything but the desire to be home and warm and Danny dashes across the street, practically running down the stairs and into the warmth of the subway.

~*~

He's received exactly two cards this year.

They're displayed proudly on the top of his bookshelf. One's from his sponsor. The other's from an elderly woman who lives downstairs. She's labouring under the assumption that Danny's her grandson, but most days she doesn't seem to remember his name, let alone that they've lived in the same building for seven years now.

He received a card from each member of the team, too, but those are tucked into a file in his desk. He has Christmas cards from his first year with the department in that file. He's not sure why he keeps them.

The two on his bookshelf are the only things in his apartment that give any indication of the time of year. He doesn't have a tree; never has, the three presents he's managed to purchase and wrap sitting on his desk instead, half hidden by file folders and Danny doubts he'll ever get around to handing them out.

Two of them are for Nickie, Danny holding onto them on the off chance that Silvia might change her mind. She hasn't and Danny thinks, too late, that he should have dropped them in the mail.

He doesn't want to think about the third.

~*~

The morning of Christmas Eve dawns with the ringing of his cell phone.

It's Jack.

Danny grumbles something about being right in before climbing out of bed, staggering the few short steps into his bathroom.

He doesn't start functioning until after he's showered, dressed and has had his first cup of coffee.

~*~

It's even quieter today than it was yesterday, Danny the only one in and he should have known no one else would answer their phone.

The rest of the team have better things to do than make themselves available for on-call Christmas availability. Danny hates that he volunteered this year. Hates that he's volunteered every year since he started.

Hates it even more when Jack shows up to tack a picture up on the white board; kids shouldn't go missing over Christmas.

~*~

Shortly after ten the case starts looking like a kidnapping.

The rest of the team starts trickling in sometime after ten-thirty.

~*~

They get a hit on a guy with a record. Four counts of kidnapping and in each case the kid ended up in another state, processed through illegal adoption agencies and obviously their missing person is meant to be a Christmas present.

Danny finds that oddly fitting.

They pull phone records and credit card receipts, run background checks and conduct interviews. All standard procedure and Danny's just getting back to the office, Vivian with him, her ear pressed to her cell phone, reassuring Marcus that she'll be there Christmas morning, when Jack beckons them to the conference table.

Their suspect has an alias and that alias showed up on the manifest of a morning flight into Boston.

Danny volunteers to go just to keep Vivian from having to break her promise.

He's only marginally surprised when Martin agrees to accompany him.

~*~

They fly out into a snowstorm that came on the edge of a low pressure system moving over the east coast. The turbulence is so bad that Martin doesn't protest when Danny reaches over and grabs his hand. In fact, he squeezes back just as hard.

His reaction does nothing to ease Danny's apprehension.

Danny doesn't let go.

By the time they reach Boston he's so tense he's starting to suspect he might not be able to move. They're forced to circle the city four times before being cleared for landing.

Boston is blanketed in white by the time they get off the plane, the sky still heavy with precipitation.

~*~

The city comes to a standstill as night falls, the new-fallen snow glowing in shades of pink and green against the backdrop of Christmas lights.

They find their suspect at his brother's, the kid with him his nephew and he swears he got out of the game years ago, that he was flying under an alias because leaving the state violated the conditions of his parole. He tells them he just wanted to spend Christmas with family.

They interrogate him in the Boston offices. Release him shortly before nine after a call from Jack.

Turns out the kid wasn't kidnapped, but rather that he set out on a quest to find the North Pole, hoping to be the first kid ever to ride around the world in Santa's sleigh.

Some days Danny loves his job.

~*~

It's well past ten by the time they find a hotel, the airport shut down and not likely to reopen until the storm clears.

It's not snowing as hard as it was before, but the streets are still a mess, the city practically deserted and as soon as Danny drops his bag onto his bed, Martin knocks on his door.

He hasn't changed, still wearing his slightly wrinkled suit, the cuffs of his pants stained with snow and salt. Danny arches an eyebrow before inviting him in.

"So the guy in the office told me the diner across the street is open twenty-four-seven. Said they have a mean turkey sandwich. You up for some Christmas dinner?" Martin asks, stomping the snow off his shoes before stepping through the door.

Danny's stomach growls and he realizes he hasn't eaten anything today aside from the gingerbread cookies Vivian brought in this morning.

"Sounds good to me," Danny answers before grabbing his jacket, sliding back into it and Martin smiles before leading the way out the door.

Danny tries to ignore the slight limp that staggers Martin's step as he falls in behind him.

~*~

They have the entire place to themselves, the waitress seeming almost glad for their presence, obviously bored before their arrival. It helps that Danny's taken to flirting with her, something he does purely by instinct now, something he learnt to do back before he even realized what flirting meant.

The turkey sandwich is hot, covered in gravy and it comes complete with mashed potatoes and unnaturally shaped vegetables. All things considered, it's one of the better Christmas dinners he's had.

He's halfway through it when Martin finally breaks the almost tense silence between them.

"I think this might be my fault," he says, chuckling slightly, but the sound doesn't hold warmth.

It's more awkward than anything, Martin obviously nervous, uncertain and Danny glances up, silently tells him to continue.

"I kind of wanted to skip out on dinner tomorrow. It's the first year since… well," he finishes, gesturing absently with his fork and Danny nods, thinks it's just like Martin to assume the weather might act in his favour.

"I wasn't looking forward to tomorrow either. Nothing says Christmas like chatting with your brother through a plate glass window," Danny admits, tone light and he gets a laugh out of Martin.

After that they fall into easy conversation, Martin telling him about his family and what Christmas used to mean, Danny recounting last year's adventure and confessing to being disappointed by the change this year has brought. By the time they've paid their bill, Danny's starting to feel marginally good about how this Christmas is turning out.

~*~

"Merry Christmas," Martin says after glancing at his watch and it takes Danny glancing at his own wrist to realize it's now after midnight.

"Merry Christmas," Danny replies, suddenly wishing he'd thought to pack the third present sitting on his desk.

He's still not sure why he bought Martin a present, or if he ever planned on giving it to him. He hasn't in the past, regardless of how many times he's picked something up on impulse. It's not even all that great a present, just a CD he thought Martin might enjoy, something jazzy that Danny would never actually listen to on his own.

He wishes he had it here, though, so that he could pull it out, prolong an evening that, by all counts, has pretty much been the best evening of his life.

Better than most evenings, anyway. They haven't even done anything, aside from talk, sipping on hot chocolates that Martin got out a machine in the hotel lobby. He's not alone, though, which is more than he can say for most Christmases.

~*~

It's almost one by the time Martin leaves, wincing as he pushes himself out of the room's only chair.

Danny's sitting cross-legged on the bed, legs a little stiff, but the discomfort is nowhere near what Martin must be feeling.

He can't even imagine how they're going to feel in the morning, their flight leaving (provided it does leave) in approximately six hours.

Martin doesn't say anything before slipping out the door, but he does glance over, smiling softly and Danny thinks about asking him to stay.

He doesn't, instead waiting until he hears the door next to his open and close before climbing into bed.

~*~

Instead of peanuts they get candy-canes. Christmas American Airlines style and when Danny pushes his aside, Martin picks it up and tucks it into his pocket.

Danny doesn't say anything, instead grinning at the innocent look Martin gives him.

~*~

His visit with Rafi goes well.

Rafi's got six months left on his sentence and he's already planning on what he's going to do once he gets out. Silvia's lined up a job for him, something in construction and Rafi spends the entire visit radiating excitement.

He talks about his new daughter and it's not until Danny hears her name that he realizes he didn't think to pick up something for her. He mentally adds that to his list and reasons that late is better than never.

Besides, he still hasn't sent Nickie's gifts.

~*~

He gets home earlier than he expected and spends what's left of the afternoon and most of the evening sleeping on his couch.

Christmas is almost over when he finally wakes, a knock on his door drawing him from sleep.

It takes him several seconds to process where he is, the last few days a blur of running around and by the time he's capable of getting off the couch, the person on the other side of the door has gotten impatient enough to knock a second time.

He mumbles something that amounts to acknowledgement, crossing the room and pulling open the door without bothering to check the peephole.

Martin's a surprise.

Except, not really, because this isn't the first time Martin's shown up on his doorstep. It is, however, the first time in a long time, months even and Danny's still stuck on why this doesn't feel as awkward as he thinks it should when Martin clears his throat.

It's enough to set Danny moving, Danny stepping aside, gesturing for Martin to enter and Martin seems almost nervous as he crosses over the threshold.

Danny's nervous too, but the tension between them seems different than it usually does. It's shifted, becoming more charged, less awkward and Danny's suddenly thankful for a little boy and his firm belief in something Danny can't remember ever believing in.

"I thought you were at your uncle's?" Danny asks, suddenly finding his voice and Martin hands over a Tupperware container in response.

Leftovers and Danny can't help but laugh, only then remembering his request.

Obviously Martin remembered, Danny asking him to bring back something good to share with the team on Monday and it's close enough to Monday, Danny close enough to the team, to count.

"You want some?" Danny asks, holding up the container and when Martin nods, Danny smiles and leads him into the kitchen.

~*~

He forgets about the present sitting on his desk until his alarm screams at him the next morning.

Then he kicks himself for forgetting.

Martin's hours gone, likely waking up in his own bed in his own apartment and Danny came dangerously close to inviting him to spend the night last night.

He likely would have, if Martin stayed longer, but shortly after they finished eating Martin announced that it was late and they both needed sleep before work.

Danny mumbled his agreement and walked Martin to the door.

Martin's goodbye was a soft smile and a look that Danny couldn't remember ever seeing.

He's still thinking about that look and everything it could mean, Danny halfway toward locking his door, when he decides to head back inside and retrieve the small gift from its place on his desk.

~*~

The lull that preceded Christmas has been replaced by steady noise and chaotic energy. Danny knows the second he steps off the elevator that they have a case.

Martin's not at his desk, so Danny slips the present out of his pocket, places it in plain sight before returning to his own desk, shrugging out of his coat before heading for coffee.

Martin doesn't notice the package until well after nine.

~*~

Danny's in the break room, trying to catch his breath after running leads all morning, when Martin corners him.

He doesn't say anything, merely holds up the CD and arches an eyebrow.

Danny shrugs his response.

"How did you know?" Martin asks, stepping forward, Danny frowning in confusion. "The CD, they're one of my favourite bands," Martin explains and only Martin would like some obscure jazz band that Danny chose by chance.

"Lucky guess," Danny admits, honestly, but Martin's expression suggests he thinks Danny's lying.

Danny doesn't bother correcting him.

"You know, they're playing this little club around the corner from my place on New Years Eve. You want to check them out?" Martin asks, shifting awkwardly and Danny's struck with the sudden knowledge that Martin's actually nervous.

"Um, yeah, sure," Danny manages to get out, earning one of Martin's genuine smiles before Martin turns to leave.

Danny's back at his desk before he realizes he didn't even know the band was local.

Halfway across the city on another lead before he realizes Martin just asked him out and suddenly New Years is looking to shape up even better than his Christmas ended up.


	2. December's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to 72 Hours. Danny's never been good at waiting.

He doesn't start panicking until Friday.

Monday passed by in a blur, the case not ending until well after midnight and by the time Danny got back to the office, Martin had already left for the night.

Tuesday brought a new case, one that had them running for thirty-eight hours straight. Somewhere in there Danny thinks he might have slept, but it's hard to remember anything beyond the rush of adrenalin and the frantic worry of trying to find a missing kid.

Wednesday night he spent staring up at his ceiling, still slightly keyed up from Tuesday's case, not quite able to sleep. His phone rang at four in the morning. Danny was still awake.

That case led well into Friday morning, a missing mother this time and Danny's still trying not to think about the fact that they were too late. Sometimes it's worse when they find the body.

He makes it back into work shortly after ten on Friday morning, the white board clean and it's strange not to jump right into a case --oddly awkward and he's not really sure what to do with himself.

It doesn't help that tomorrow is New Year's Eve and Martin still hasn't said anything about their date.

Danny's calling it that, anyway, despite the fact that he's not really sure what it is. He thinks Martin might know, but for all Danny knows Martin's completely forgotten about their plans and Saturday will come and go before he remembers. If he remembers.

The morning's lull is making him worry too, because it hasn't been this quiet since before Christmas and Danny knows the odds of it remaining quiet are pretty slim; the sooner they get a call, the sooner they can put the case behind them, after all.

He forces himself to go and grab a coffee, telling himself that as soon as he makes it back Jack will have a picture up on the white board. It's sound logic, he figures, because people always go missing this time of the year, often before Danny's had a chance to warm up to the day, so the odds of it happening are pretty good.

Good enough that Danny manages to relax, not much, but enough that he's no longer coiled tight with energy, the anticipation of waiting something he's never really enjoyed.

Not unless what he's waiting for promises to be enjoyable and as soon as Danny spots Martin standing next to the coffee maker a whole new source of anticipation coils in his stomach.

"Morning," he says, Martin nodding over the rim of his coffee cup, moving aside to let Danny reach the pot.

"Quiet today, huh?" Martin asks, Danny smiling at his observation before pouring a cup, realizing he hasn't really spoken to Martin since Monday.

"Won't stay that way for long," Danny counters, Martin smiling in response and it's not until Danny sees it that he realizes how nervous he was.

Worried that Christmas was an anomaly, that a week of silence would send them back to awkward glances and frozen tongues.

Obviously that's not the case and Danny resolves himself to ask about Saturday. It should be easy, after all, Martin the one who initially brought it up and Danny's just... confirming. Verifying and that's allowed. It certainly doesn't breach any kind of protocol that Danny's aware of, anyway.

"So..." he gets out before Martin turns, Danny's head swivelling and, as soon as he spots Jack by the door, his stomach sinks.

Whatever he was about to say is lost, Jack demanding their attention and Danny knows that's partly his fault; he did, after all, want a case.

~*~

Some days he thinks about quitting.

Usually those days are accompanied by a particularly brutal case. Today is one of those days.

They've had the case four hours now, and Danny already knows more than he ever wanted to know. Like the fact that their missing boy --seven and he reminds Danny so much of Nickie that it's hard to focus on the task at hand-- has an abusive father and an alcoholic mother and there's no doubt in Danny's mind that they're directly related to his disappearance.

No doubt in Danny's mind that the kid is likely dead, probably long before the call came in. Now it's just a matter of working through the puzzle, putting the pieces together and, if they're really lucky, they'll find him alive.

If they're not, at least they'll find a body, give him a decent burial.

~*~

The mother's cracking.

Crumbling right before Danny's eyes and there's not a damn thing he can do about it.

He's watching from outside the glass, Jack forbidding him from sitting in after Danny's incident with the father. He's relegated to observer, now, forced to will Martin to ask the questions Danny would have asked and twice now Martin hasn't. Twice now Danny's thought about barging in on the interview, Jack's orders be damned.

~*~

Danny…

He used to swim in this place with Rafi when he was a kid. His mother always warned him about gators, said they'd get him if he wasn't careful. Rafi told him the gators were in the swamps, not here. Rafi's words seemed truer, so Danny swam.

Danny…

It's dark when he opens his eyes, Vivian's hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake and it takes Danny a moment to process the fact that he's fallen asleep at his desk.

"Yeah, sorry…" he manages, a yawn interrupting his words. Vivian merely smiles.

"We've got a lead, come on," she tells him, not waiting for a response before heading to her desk, grabbing her jacket and Danny doesn't wait for the fog of sleep to dissipate before standing.

~*~

Their lead takes them to an adoption agency in Queens, Vivian interviewing the guy who runs the place while Danny searches through security camera footage.

Turns out their missing kid, Joshua, was adopted shortly after birth, the adoption agent calling in the information as soon as he saw Joshua's picture on the news.

"Got anything?" Vivian asks, momentarily startling Danny, Danny cursing himself for not hearing her approach.

"Yeah, this is her here," Danny answers, pointing to a young girl on the screen and she still looks too young to be the birth mother.

The footage is a week old, about the time she stopped in, demanding to be put in contact with the adoptive parents. Her request was forwarded, but no reply came and Danny can't help but wonder if she somehow managed to find them herself.

It's the better option, all things considered, and for the first time since they opened the case, Danny's starting to feel just a little hopeful.

~*~

Jack sends Martin with Sam. Sam, and Danny's trying not to think about that.

Trying not to wonder how long they'll be gone or if Martin will even want to go out once he gets back.

He tells himself it's only Jersey; not that far and they'll be done and back before the sun rises.

He almost manages to convince himself it's true, except for the fact that it's pushing past three in the morning and the sun will likely rise long before they even find the birth mother.

Her name is Teresa, and Danny finds that oddly amusing. He doesn't laugh, though; doesn't do anything but watch Martin leave, Martin glancing over his shoulder to make eye contact and as soon as he does Danny finds himself breathing again.

There's promise in Martin's eyes, regret too and Danny's no longer worried about Martin and Sam re-bonding on their little excursion. At least, not as worried as he was.

~*~

He's not sleeping, despite the fact that Jack sent him home to do exactly that. He's too busy counting hours, watching the progression of time and when his clock rolls over to nine o'clock, Danny starts worrying.

Starts considering getting dressed and heading back into the office, despite Jack's promise that he'd call and Danny still finds it ridiculous that Jack would send agents home in the middle of a case.

He knows it's procedure, though; knows that he'll be useless without sleep, so it makes sense for Jack to send him home.

Still, he knows too that Jack's likely still at the office, decidedly not sleeping and he doubts --hopes, really-- that Sam and Martin are sleeping; too busy chasing down leads and trying to find a woman that might just be the key to their puzzle.

He lasts ten minutes before growling in frustration and throwing on his suit.

~*~

Vivian's just getting in as he climbs off the elevators, her eyes dark with lack of sleep, coffee clutched in her hand and she looks surprised to see him.

She doesn't say anything, though, merely glancing over, raising a questioning eyebrow that Danny answers with a shrug. Her answer is a shake of the head, nothing more, like she knows exactly why Danny's back before he's supposed to be; knows and understands and that's one of the things Danny likes about Vivian.

Jack's nowhere to be found, Danny not bothering to look for either Sam or Martin. He does glance at the clock, though, registering ten and Martin has exactly fourteen hours if they're going to make their date.

Plenty of time, Danny tells himself, avoiding the office and heading straight for the break room, fresh coffee made and Danny inhales before pouring himself a cup.

~*~

He never anticipates these twists.

Never even considers them until it's too late and Danny's hand shakes as he pulls out his weapon. Jack's beside him, looking strangely focused and there's something about Jack holding a gun that makes Danny want to avoid his bad side.

Fingers flash through the air and yet Danny still winces at the noise; wood shattering on impact, hinges breaking apart and the door is flying back, Danny following Jack inside, weapon held out in front of him and as soon as he spots their suspect he's barking orders.

Jack heads deeper into the apartment, Danny and a handful of swat members standing in the middle of the living room, guns trained on a registered pedophile and it takes every ounce of Danny's willpower not to shoot the fucking bastard.

Jack finds the kid in the bedroom.

Danny swallows a mouthful of bile and fights against the urge to pull to the trigger.

~*~

It's close to seven by the time Sam and Martin get back and Danny doesn't feel much like celebrating.

Doesn't feel much like anything, except maybe having a drink, but that option hasn't been viable for years now. He suspects he'll do what he does most nights; lock himself inside and stare at his ceiling just to avoid closing his eyes.

He has reports to finish, though. He's halfway through the second batch when Martin shows up at his desk, looking more than just a little exhausted and Danny reminds himself that Martin hasn't slept.

"You okay?" Martin asks, tone knowing and Danny wants to be offended. He's not, mostly because he knows Martin's been there; knows Martin's seen everything Danny's ever seen and Danny seriously doubts any of them are really okay.

"Yeah, I'm good," he lies, nodding and Martin nods with him, silent acknowledgement of Danny's words and Danny knows Martin well enough to know Martin doesn't believe him. Knows Martin well enough to know Martin won't push the issue.

"I know it's bad timing, but, do you... are you still up for tonight?" Martin asks after a moment, expression almost hopeful and Danny's suddenly aware of just how hard it must have been for Martin to ask.

If the situation were reversed, Danny doubts he could have done it. Not after the past week they've endured. Certainly not after thirty-six hours without sleep.

"Yeah. I mean, that would be cool," Danny answers, fighting not to roll his eyes because he's usually smoother than this. Cooler than this, but there is something about Martin that reduces him to a babbling idiot.

Fortunately Martin doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he's smiling, grin broader than Danny can ever remember seeing and it must be infectious, because a second later Danny's grinning back, both of them playing the role of idiot.

~*~

This isn't what he was expecting.

Not even close; the club louder than he expected, the tables closer together and it feels less like a date and more like a boys' night out.

Danny's not sure what to think of that.

Still, Martin orders tonic water at the bar, nothing more and that has to mean something.

Half convinced it does, Danny follows Martin to a table in the back, a reserved sign leaning against the single, flickering candle and suddenly that date idea isn't so far fetched after all.

"I didn't think it would be this busy," Martin says, leaning over so that Danny can hear him over the din of music.

He sounds apologetic, almost like he was planning something more intimate and Danny finds himself smiling in response.

"Just means they're good, right?" he replies, Martin laughing at his answer and for a second Danny's struck with the notion that this is the most surreal experience of his life.

The band hasn't started playing yet, the club piping out music over the intercom system, but the place is packed practically to capacity. It's loud and hot and Martin's staring at him and it may not be what they were expecting, but it's pretty much a perfect end to what's been a fairly disturbing evening.

A perfect start to the new year, Danny thinks, shaking his head at the thought because he's never been one to look forward.

Strangely Martin makes it easy and Danny suspects that's partly because he's spent the past four years looking forward. Four years telling himself tomorrow, or the next day, or the week after that and the fact that it's today is slightly nerve wracking.

Exciting too, so Danny releases a breath and sinks into his chair, setting his bottle of water down onto the table before turning to Martin, Martin's eyes on the stage and Danny glances over long enough to watch the band setting up.

~*~

It's snowing when Martin finally leads them out of the club.

They didn't quite make it to midnight, Danny's watch showing eleven-thirty and it's almost disappointing to leave before the big finale.

Almost, but not quite, because Martin's stopping, looking slightly out of place and Danny's sure Martin's going to invite him home.

"That was..." Martin gets out before shaking his head, laughing softly and Danny smiles in response.

"Yeah. They were good," Danny answers, and they were, despite the fact that Danny had never heard of them, and likely wouldn't have were it not for the random CD he just happened to stumble across.

Martin nods at that, glancing over and suddenly Danny's lost for what to say. He's usually so good at this, but all of this is Martin's doing and Danny's never been very good at figuring out how to move forward with Martin.

"I wanted to thank you. For the CD, and for coming tonight," Martin says, breaking the silence and Danny's no longer sure where this night is heading.

It sounds suspiciously like Martin's drawing it to a close and Danny doesn't want that. He's spent too long waiting to get here to want it to end now and he's half tempted to step into Martin's space and convince Martin they need to at least see midnight to completion.

At the very least he wants his kiss, because that's what New Year's Eve is supposed to mean; ball drops and kissing starts and, sometimes, if Danny's particularly lucky, sex follows shortly after.

Danny hasn't been lucky in over five years, but he's fairly certain his luck is due to change.

"I guess I should..." Martin begins and Danny's talking before Martin even gets the thought out.

"Just invite me back to your place, already," he says, tone slightly exasperated, patience wearing thin and Martin's eyes widen.

His mouth falls open, expression startled and Danny wishes he could take those words back. Not an option, he knows, but that doesn't stop him from backpedaling, hands coming up as if to defend himself from a blow he knows Martin will never throw.

"Shit, I'm sorry... I…"

"You want to come back to my place?"

And now Danny's hearing things, either that or Martin's playing the pity card --granted, this is Martin, so he could just be hopelessly clueless and, of all the options, that one seems like the best.

"Excuse me?" Danny asks, almost hoping that Martin will shrug the whole thing off, send Danny home, no harm, no foul and when Danny's thoughts became so conflicting, Danny doesn't know.

"I asked if you wanted to come back to my place," Martin repeats, stepping forward and he no longer looks uncertain. If anything, he looks more resolved than Danny can ever remember seeing and Danny nods, not trusting himself to speak.

~*~

Martin's place is strangely... Martin.

The colours, the neatness, even the slight scent of musk hanging in the air all speak of the man currently standing at Danny's side.

Danny feels strangely comfortable.

He tries not to question that, instead turning to watch Martin bolt the door behind them, Martin's hands slightly shaky and Danny can't help but smile at Martin's obvious nervousness.

"This is a nice place," Danny says, stepping forward just as Martin turns, Martin seeming almost startled to find Danny so close.

"Thanks," Martin answers, running a hand through his hair and Danny wonders if they're both just idiots.

Either that or nervous wrecks, too worried about screwing up what they've screwed up more times than Danny can count and Danny wants to say something. Tell Martin that they've climbed back from everything that's ever gone wrong between them and that they can climb back from this too. That they might not need to because this might be right and the only thing stopping Danny from opening his mouth is uncertainty.

Because he doesn't know. Because he's almost lost Martin more times than he can recall and he doesn't want to lose Martin now. Not by making the first move, anyway, regardless of how right this feels.

Regardless of how long he's wanted this.

Martin makes the decision for him.

By turning away, heading deeper into his apartment and Danny lets him go, stomach sinking because this was supposed to be easy; the first date out of the way and this is suppose to just flow from that. Apparently nothing is ever easy with Martin.

"You want a drink?" Martin asks, shaking his head a second later, obviously registering the wrongness of the question too late.

Danny lets it go.

Steps forward instead, following Martin into the living room and as soon as he reaches the couch he sits, gesturing for Martin to do the same and Danny takes solace in the fact that Martin's chosen to sit next to him, close enough that their shoulders actually brush together.

"What are we doing?" Danny asks, more for himself than Martin.

Martin answers him all the same.

"The truth?" he begins, Danny nodding for him to continue. "I think we just had a date, but I'm not entirely sure, which is why I haven't kissed you."

It's quite possibly the most direct thing Martin's ever said to him and, for a moment, Danny has no idea how to reply. Shouts from the apartment next to Martin make it easy, Danny smiling before replying.

"I think it's midnight," Danny says, leaning forward and the smile that earns him is worth four years of constant confusion.

Their first kiss is more than worth four years of waiting.


End file.
